Based on the Patricia Cornwell novel, the film will be part of TNT's Mystery Movie Night and debut spring 2012. Madsen will play police chief Judy Hammer and Stringfield will play her top deputy, Virigina West. The two make a serial killer their top priority.

NBC's sci-fi drama 'The Event' may be on a three-month hiatus from our screens, but that doesn't mean that production has shut down. It's been announced that Virgina Madsen ('Sideways,' 'Scoundrels') has signed on for a recurring role

According to deadline.com, the Oscar nominee will play Catherine Lewis, the widow of a US senator from Alaska who has taken over her late husbands post. "A former powerhouse attorney, the Harvard graduate is determined to carry out her husband's legacy at any cost."

Lewis is described as a "major recurring" character, and the role was reportedly first offered to Connie Britton ('Friday Night Lights,' 'Spin City') back in November.

'Scoundrels' (Sun., 9PM ET on ABC) is the new series dealing with a family of small-time crooks. Father and husband Wolfgang "Wolf" West (David James Elliott) has been given a long prison sentence. So now, the rest of the family must learn to work together, and must avoid committing crimes.

[Spoiler alert.]

Unfortunately, on the most recent episode, they're not doing too well -- either with the "working together" part, or the "not committing crimes" part.

Cal West attempts a robbery in order to raise money for his dad's legal defense. But he's stopped by his twin brother Logan West. (Both parts are played by Patrick Flueger.) Cal and Logan may be twins, but they're opposites in every possible way. One's clean-cut and responsible; the other, scruffy and impetuous. Soon enough, they get in a physical fight over the attempted burglary. They also bicker about what so many brothers argue about -- which one of them their dad likes best. It's classic sibling rivalry -- with an odd mirror image twist.

Thieves are usually the bad guys, the people we hate on TV ... but not with 'Scoundrels.'

ABC's new drama centers on a family of thieves, including mom Cheryl, played by Virginia Madsen, and schemer extraordinaire dad Wolf, played by David James Elliott. When Wolf gets thrown in the clink for crimes committed, Cheryl decides it's time for the whole family to quit the business and go legit. Apparently, that's not so easy for any of them. But according to Elliott, they're just a "typical American family ... every family's dysfunctional on a level."

I caught up with the stars to find out more about the show, and to hear how playing bad on TV has affected them in real life. Check it out here ...

It's shaping up to be a summer full of sexy cops and the thieves they chase, starting off with 'Memphis Beat,'Jason Lee's new detective drama with a twist. A very southern, very King-like twist.

There's also some new kids on the block in 'Rookie Blue,' which is basically like 'Grey's Anatomy' with badges and guns instead of scrubs and scalpels. Then we've got a new family of crime with 'Scoundrels,' starring Virginia Madsen and David James Elliott, and the return of James Franco's mysterious (and murderous) 'General Hospital' character Franco.

Want more? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong

When I first heard about this show, I could have sworn I had heard something about it before, only with another star attached to it and not Virginia Madsen. Turns out there was another version of 'Scoundrels' that ABC attempted, a couple of years ago, only it had Catherine O'Hara in the lead role and it was called 'Good Behavior.'

'Scoundrels' is based on a New Zealand show, 'Outrageous Fortune,' and Madsen will star as the mother/head of a family of crooks who decides that they all need to go straight after the dad is put in prison. I'm going to assume that things don't go smoothly and their criminal pasts will catch up to them in some way. But this sounds like it could be a fun show, sort of like 'The Riches' and maybe a hint of the USA show 'Cover Me' (which I really liked - it was canceled way too early).

This won't be a permanent series though. Right now it's going to be an eight episode summer show.

Virginia Madsen is headed back to television following a recurring role on 'Monk.' The Oscar nominee will next star in the ABC dramedy 'Scoundrels,' playing a mom of a family of criminals who finally decides to clean up her act. The network has picked up eight episodes of the series, which will air in the summer. [Hollywood Reporter]
More casting news after the jump.

Can 'American Idol' really exist without Paula Abdul? Fox thinks so. The show has already scheduled guest judges for the audition rounds, and is expected to find a permanent replacement for Paula by January.

Also in the news today: Virginia Madsen will guest on 'Monk,' while the details of 'Family Guy''s abortion themed episode are revealed.

All unaired episodes of Smith are now up on CBS' broadband channel, Innertube. The heist drama was canceled in early October, after only three episodes made air. The remaining four episodes are available on Innertube, but there is also a synopsis of how the story arc would have played out and what would have become of the characters had the show remained on the air. After episode 13, it would've been a hell of a cliffhanger.

There are seven episodes of Smith up on CBS' broadband channel, Innertube. The series was canceled after only three episodes made air. Presumably, seven episodes are all that were ever made of Smith, an action-drama about a band of robbers, starring Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen. TV Guide said the series was canceled because of meager ratings and an abhorrent price tag of $3 million per episode. I'm not sure whether Smith actually wraps up in the seventh episode- I have the feeling that it'll leave you fans hanging.

I haven't watched all the episodes and don't plan to since I wasn't a fan, but feel free to let us know in comments if it got any better!

If the comments section here is any indication, even though Smith was canceled rather quickly by CBS, it actually had a lot of fans. Of course, we didn't get 10 million comments, so "a lot" wasn't really enough.

TV Guide has a breakdown on why the show was canceled. It seemed like it could be a hit: West Wing/ER producer John Wells, big stars like Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen, and lots of hype by CBS, but what happened? People have speculated that it was because the gang of crooks on the show weren't likable, but the magazine says that it was more the price of the show. Each episode cost about $3 million dollars!

I wonder how much that awful motorcycle chase with Simon Baker cost to film?

Are you enjoying Smith? Too bad! CBS has decided to shelve it. The Ray Liotta drama has been doing so-so in the ratings, and it looks like CBS doesn't want to take any more chances with it.

There's no official word on the move yet, but expect something official later today. In fact, check out the web site. There are still some links to get to the show's page, but it's gone from both drop down menus!

As I mentioned in my reviews, the show has started to go downhill from an intriguing pilot. Maybe CBS saw something in the upcoming episodes that said, "hey, let's dump this for now and put something else on"?

(S01E03) Three episodes into Smith, and this show has started to come off the rails. It's sort of a mess now. And it's getting tedious and boring, with just too many elements (side plots, characters, etc) the writers have thrown into the mix that ruin the tone set by the stylish, clever, moody pilot.

(S01E01) As I sat watching the premiere episode of Smith, I kept thinking the same thing: after Heist and Hustle and Thief, are people really going to want to watch yet another show about a gang of clever thieves who pull off elaborate robberies?

If it's based on quality, it shouldn't really be a problem. This is a good show. But we all know it's not just based on quality, there are about 9 other things that come into play when people decide to watch or not watch a TV show, and I wonder how viewers will calculate those other things in their head when deciding whether or not to watch it.